Kosketusmaksut

Kosketusmaksut, or contactless payment fees, refer to charges that may be applied by financial institutions or payment processors for facilitating contactless transactions. These transactions, often made using credit or debit cards with contactless technology or mobile payment systems like Apple Pay or Google Pay, allow users to pay by simply tapping their device or card near a payment terminal. While contactless payments offer convenience and speed, the underlying infrastructure and services required to process these transactions can incur costs.

These costs are typically borne by merchants rather than directly by consumers, although some financial institutions might indirectly pass on costs through account fees or transaction charges in certain contexts. For merchants, these fees are part of the overall merchant service fees associated with accepting card payments. The exact amount of kosketusmaksut can vary depending on the payment network (e.g., Visa, Mastercard), the acquiring bank, and the specific terms of the merchant's agreement.

The rationale behind these fees is that processing any electronic payment, including contactless ones, involves a complex system of authorization, clearing, and settlement, all of which have associated operational expenses. While contactless technology itself does not inherently add significant new costs compared to traditional chip-and-PIN transactions, the overall fee structure for card acceptance encompasses these services. It is important for merchants to understand their fee schedules to accurately account for the cost of accepting contactless payments. Consumers generally do not pay separate fees for making contactless purchases.